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good non-gas mowers | (Read 6850 times) |
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lanemik
Posts: 14
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May 04, 2010, 07:52:31 PM |
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Well I got my Toro 20360 e-cycler today. I bought it after checking out the Consumer Reports ratings. The Toro is the highest rated cordless electric on consumerreports.org. I plugged it in after I got it this morning (bought it from amazon, can't beat no tax and no shipping charges with my amazon prime!) and by the time the kids were in bed, it was charged up and ready to go. I set it up to 4" of course, and headed out back. It's definitely a tank of a mower. It is very sturdy, much more sturdy than any other mower I've ever used. It felt good. I turned it on and it reminded me more of the sound of an electric weed eater than a lawn mower. As I was mowing, it occurred to me that I could hear myself think. Then I realized that I could smell what I was cutting and not the nasty exhaust of the mower! I fell into a zen-like mowing-induce trance and loved doing the job. I helped that I didn't have to stop every few feet to let the mower chew up the massive mound of grass that had gotten clogged underneath like my previous mowing experiences (back in my mow low days  ).
Anyhow, it was a very pleasant experience and a truly outstanding mower. I highly recommend it!
Link on amazon: http://amzn.to/bmhJdJ
Ha! I just noticed that Amazon has pulled the mower. Reading the reviews it looks like it is easily damaged during shipping so they decided not to offer it for the time being. I'm sure you can find it at some kind of big box hardware store or something, though. Mine made it to me without a scratch and is in perfect working order. Lucky for me I ordered it when I did and lucky for me it wasn't damaged during shipping! Phew!
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garyd
Posts: 26
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May 08, 2010, 01:23:57 AM |
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Well, I've mowed with my Neuton CE 6 twice and it is the worst purchase I have ever made. This thing is a piece of junk! It is not very well built and it has a light blade that cuts very uneven. It is very hard to push and is actually noisier than my gas Honda mower. Also the mulching is terrible. I am cutting on the highest level and it was bogging down and leaving clumps of grass. The mowing time is shorter than advertised as well. It says that it will last 1 hour and I could only get 35 minutes when it started to slow down and lose cutting power. I've had to wait and recharge to battery and finish mowing the next day. The worst part is the customer service. The mower is supposed to have a 60 day satisfaction return policy but because I bought through a clean air program (which they sponsored ) the sale is final with no returns. When I called to find out about returning it, they instantly got very rude on the phone.
I bought a DR cordless mower through Country Home about 10 years ago that I didn't like because it had the same issues as the Neuton and I realized that this is the same company and they just renamed it Neuton. There is nothing new about these Neuton mowers except the CE 6 is 19 inches instead of 14 inches and it is exactly like the mower I tried 10 years ago. If I knew it was the same company and mower, I would have never bought it.
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Ken Peavey
Administrator
Posts: 513
8b/9a N FLorida
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May 08, 2010, 10:00:27 AM |
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I bought an American reel mower back in 04. So far It has not used a drop of gas or oil, I've changed no spark plugs or air filters. I've had some things stolen from the yard: generator, gas mower, chipper-shredder, rototiller, along with the chain holding these to a tree. The reel mower was not locked up, just sitting there beside the fence in plain view. They left it.
In 08 I bought an electric mower to replace the stolen gas mower, along with a much thicker chain. I still have both mowers and the chain.
The electric machine is a 24 volt Homelite, about an 18 inch cut. I lower it down as far as it will go, can't be an inch off the ground. There are cottonmouth snakes around so the grass needs to be cut short in order to see the snakes easily.
The only problem I've had with the mower is the on/off switch rusting and failing as a result of being kept outdoors in the Florida rain and humidity. I cut out the factory switch, wired in a household wall switch and lots of electrical tape. Its not pretty, but it works just fine.
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Be the change you want to see. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Replenish, Repair, Recover and Rejoice.
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paul wheaton
Administrator
Posts: 5613
missoula, montana
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May 12, 2010, 11:11:47 AM |
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I was asking how well it mulches.
What I meant is an inch of growth. I've never mowed short. Before I first read your article a few years ago, I never mowed shorter than 2 1/2 inches. After reading your article, I've been mowing at the highest setting which is about 4 inches for about 5 years. When I tried the cordless electric, it didn't mulch very well on the highest setting if there was more than 1 inch of growth. It was a DR electric mower which looks like the Neuton. I think it is the same mower since they now sell the Neuton on the DR website.
In what way was the mulching not working well. Can you upload a pic?
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paul wheaton
Administrator
Posts: 5613
missoula, montana
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May 12, 2010, 11:16:06 AM |
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Well, I've mowed with my Neuton CE 6 twice and it is the worst purchase I have ever made. This thing is a piece of junk! It is not very well built and it has a light blade that cuts very uneven. It is very hard to push and is actually noisier than my gas Honda mower. Also the mulching is terrible. I am cutting on the highest level and it was bogging down and leaving clumps of grass. The mowing time is shorter than advertised as well. It says that it will last 1 hour and I could only get 35 minutes when it started to slow down and lose cutting power. I've had to wait and recharge to battery and finish mowing the next day. The worst part is the customer service. The mower is supposed to have a 60 day satisfaction return policy but because I bought through a clean air program (which they sponsored ) the sale is final with no returns. When I called to find out about returning it, they instantly got very rude on the phone.
I bought a DR cordless mower through Country Home about 10 years ago that I didn't like because it had the same issues as the Neuton and I realized that this is the same company and they just renamed it Neuton. There is nothing new about these Neuton mowers except the CE 6 is 19 inches instead of 14 inches and it is exactly like the mower I tried 10 years ago. If I knew it was the same company and mower, I would have never bought it.
Wow!
The neuton i tried was a 14 inch. I wonder if the whole cordless thing does a better job with a smaller blade.
Can you send pics of the "uneven" and grass clumps?
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paul wheaton
Administrator
Posts: 5613
missoula, montana
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May 12, 2010, 11:18:37 AM |
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I lower it down as far as it will go, can't be an inch off the ground. There are cottonmouth snakes around so the grass needs to be cut short in order to see the snakes easily.
This is the first legit reason I have heard for mowing low!
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Lazy
Posts: 5
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May 12, 2010, 08:13:57 PM |
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I mow my tiny patch with a Scott's, but since we don't have an off-season, and I don't like to mow through our winter/rainy season, I borrowed my Dad's new Nueton, and I loved it. It was great for cutting the longer grass that we get after a few months of neglect. I could never justify the space or electricity, for my postage stamp, but it was sure nice to mow with.
I do have a question though for other Scott's/Reel owners what do you do for maintenance? How often do you sharpen the blades? Do you do it yourself?
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paul wheaton
Administrator
Posts: 5613
missoula, montana
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May 14, 2010, 08:40:13 AM |
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About once every year or two I would sharpen it myself with one of these kits.
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garyd
Posts: 26
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May 14, 2010, 11:29:03 PM |
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In what way was the mulching not working well. Can you upload a pic?
I have since mowed with my Honda mower 2 times so I don't have any pictures. The way the mulching wasn't working well is, it was leaving clumps of cut grass about every 5 feet instead of mulching it down into the lawn. It is what you would see if you tried to mulch a lawn that was really long and wet. My lawn had only about an inch of growth (from 4" to 5") and it was dry so there shouldn't have been a problem with mulching.
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garyd
Posts: 26
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May 14, 2010, 11:44:24 PM |
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Wow!
The neuton i tried was a 14 inch. I wonder if the whole cordless thing does a better job with a smaller blade.
Can you send pics of the "uneven" and grass clumps?
I don't think it matters what size it is since I had the 14 inch, 24 volt DR, Country Home mower 8 or 9 years ago which was the same mower as the current Neuton CE 5 and I had the same problems with mulching and uneven cutting. Like I said, I already "repaired" my lawn by mowing over it with my Honda but the uneven cutting was spots of lawn that looked like it was just pushed over instead of being cut which was probably caused by the blade being bogged down, which you could hear. I would expect this if I was mowing an extra long. wet lawn but not from a dry lawn and cutting an inch or less off the top.
Fortunately, I put the mower on Craigslist and sold it yesterday for $75 more than I paid for it. I may still look into the Fiskars reel mower.
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rcgerard
Posts: 9
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May 30, 2010, 08:18:16 AM |
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I am about to buy a mower for the lawn I seeded about a month ago (http://www.permies.com/permaculture-forums/3854_0/lawn-care/tall-fescue-when-to-seed-new-lawn). Some of you may remember - starting from scratch, tall fescue, Paul called the lawn fugly (rightly so). I am happy to say that it is actually coming in pretty well in most areas. The back is still bad because the soil stinks, but I am taking all the right steps to make it better. I'll put new pics up on that thread soon.
So the grass is getting high enough that it will need it's first mowing soon. I have researched the cordless electric and reel mowers and have decided that the new Fiskars Reel mower Gary mentioned is what I'll get. Most reviews from users look good, the price ($199) is reasonable, and I can have it shipped to me from Lowes for free (my local store does not stock it).
It may be a couple more weeks before I receive it and mow for the the first time, but I will report back with results.
Ryan
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rcgerard
Posts: 9
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June 08, 2010, 07:48:21 AM |
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The Fiskar Momentum reel mower arrived in a smallish box yesterday. It took 15 minutes to assemble it - super easy. I was done mowing my lawn (for the first time ever) about 20 mintues later. Though my lawn is smaller as we have plenty of landscaped beds, it took the guy across the street at least an hour to mow his on a riding mower.
Some observations...
This mower is made well. It pushed easily, turned easily, and cut my tall fescue easily. Paul will love this - it can cut at 4"! When I was done, a 4" tall lawn looked really tall...don't see many people cutting their lawn at that height. I think this will go a long way in helping my lawn fill in and soil continue to get better.
The one thing it did not do well was cut taller weeds and grasses, some of which have grown in faster than the fescue over the last month, when I first seeded the lawn. The front part of the mower pushes the really tall stuff over and doesn't give the blades a chance to cut it. I knew this would probably happen when doing research before buying. No biggie - I expect the fescue to continue to fill in and the weeds to slowly get choked out. I'll just trim those areas with the battery powered weed wacker in the meantime.
Hopefully the Fiskars continues to perform well. I'll give another report down the road.
Ryan
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paul wheaton
Administrator
Posts: 5613
missoula, montana
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June 24, 2010, 11:54:45 PM |
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Wow - a reel mower that cuts at four inches. That is wild.
The reel mowers tend to just push over the taller stuff. That's why I like the cordeless electric mowers these days. They cut at four inches too. 
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brice Moss
Posts: 95
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July 30, 2010, 01:20:13 AM |
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I've got a 1964 gravely two wheeled tractor with the 30" brush hog
the motor is dead simple and the main jet is adjustable enough to run real nice on e-85 though I have yet to try feul grade moonshine I know that if it comes down too the point where I'll never have to tweek it back to gas I can drill it out
I also have the 28" reel mower attachment but putting five hp on sharp blades just sounds like an invitation to lose a leg
still looking for a good sickle bar attachment for the machine or the parts to fix the one I've got so I can sneak over the hill and steal some hay from the vacant property next to mine
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twells5150
Posts: 1
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July 30, 2010, 01:12:32 PM |
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Since April, I've been using an Earthwise corded electric mower with a 20" cut path. I'm quite happy with the mower, even with the acrobatics needed to deal with the cords.
It has a 4" cut height, and the blade is super-easy to take off/put back on when it needs sharpening.
I'm in Indiana - zone 5b.
I made the mistake of killing the lawn at the next to lowest setting this spring. The end result was a rapid infestation of crab grass and clover.
However, for the last 2 weeks, I've been mowing at 4". The grass is already looking much healthier. Hope things greatly improve come late Sept and Oct when the weather cools and the crab grass dies off.
Tom
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johnlvs2run
Posts: 23
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August 14, 2010, 11:55:07 PM |
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I got a ryobi rechargeable mower about 15 years ago for $400, which lasted two years before it had to be fixed. Fortunately I found a fellow who replaced a fuse for $25. Six months later it went out again, the first fellow was gone, and someone else wanted $150 just to look at the thing. I went back to using the old rotary mower, which was very hard work.
Finally I got a black & decker 18" corded mower from walmart for $130. Meanwhile the grass in the back yard had gotten a foot high and I expected a tough time. Surprisingly, I was able to very easily push the mower through the grass with one hand, while flipping the cord side to side with the other. It was the first time in my life that I had ever enjoyed cutting the grass! That was about 10 years ago and the mower is still doing great. I leave it outside on the walkway when it's not being used. A friend had recommended one long before and I should have listened to him at the start.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6VSoL2_GeY
If I lived in the country and had tall fields of weeds then I would most definitely use a scythe.
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F927BD40B07145F9
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 articles by paul wheaton: [diatomaceous earth] [raising chickens] [Sepp Holzer] [cast iron] [flea control]
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